Federal courts exodus ... Toot-toot ... Ferry man leaves the wharf ... All aboard with new staff ... Old timers walk the plank ... Industrial turmoil at the federal courts as new bosun comes on board ... Read more ...

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Justinian Columnists

Section 44 history lesson ... Procrustes at the blackboard ... Age-old stoushes over MPs eligibility ... Rights and privileges from a foreign power ... What about MPs receiving douceurs from foreign powers? ... Common law up against the power of Home Affairs ... Read more ...

Are you being served? ... Barely Legal's part-time job in retail ... The humiliation of a top law student having to wear a uniform and a name tag ... How to work on a Torts essay while serving customers ... The pleasure of being sacked ... Read more ...

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"... by statutory declaration you can now change your sex. So ... if you like to go into women's lavatories and rape women you can now say I'm a woman."

Fast sleeper Julian Burnside is On The Couch ... His latest book is a must for all good shelves ... Watching Out: reflections on justice and injustice ... A book about a chimera ... Fresh confessions are unburdened... Read more ...

New CJ for the Vic Supremes ... Field set for the Warren Replacement Stakes ... Contenders nominated by Justinian's readers ... Curious odds being offered ... Names most frequently mentioned: Doyle, McLeod and Maxwell

• Mark Dreyfus 34:1

• Willy Alstergren 15:1

• Neil Young QC 5 to 1 and favourite

• Rachel Doyle SC (daughter of John Doyne, former SA CJ)

• Chris Maxwell at 2:1 odds - has the advantage of a Labor background (from working with Gareth Evans) and civil liberties activism but disadvantages of age (around 61-62, so relatively short tenure) and gender.

• Fiona McLeod at 5:1 - substantial public profile, extensive experience (13 years) as a silk (not to mention the pro, in Labor terms, of having retained the SC rather than QC title) and good links within the profession.

• Susan Kenny at 7:1 - would have been a formidable contender a few years back in light of outstanding professional and academic credentials but, at 64, is probably too old to take on the role for a relatively short tenure.

• Sashi Maharaj at 20:1 - experience is predominantly federal, but would be an exceptional choice if the government wanted to boost inclusivity and diversity on the Supreme Court bench.

• Mark Dreyfus at 25:1 - only if, for example, Malcolm Turnbull singlehandedly thwarts the aliens from Independence Day and his political stocks suddenly zoom up, forcing Dreyfus to seek other employment in preference for becoming attorney general again in 2019. But if the government wanted to reignite the old Australian tradition of appointing politicians to judicial office Dreyfus could start an intriguing conversation about what both realms have to offer each other.